A Separation of Necessity
by Kyouka Natsuki
Summary: [SessKag AU ] Kagome befriends a demon unkowingly, and endangers her whole village. Soon, she is swept up in a world bigger than she had ever dreamed of.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I promise I'll work on the other stories. Sorry for such a delay, for anyone looking forward to them. Physics is crazy. **

**A Separation of Necessity**

**Chapter 1:** Prologue

The full moon rose out from under the stars, bathing the night in a soft glow, as a group of shivering children struggled to stay awake. They sat still, captivated by the warm, soothing voice retelling a story she herself had been told many times.

"Our magic all stems from our ancient ancestors. The ones that fought the youkai during the War of Inari. The day the gods granted us these powers, we gained independence…and then we lost our freedom.

The Strongest, intelligent youkai took advantage of these people with powers, and were able to control them with their cunning and smarts. They became slaves, only meant to breed more slaves with extraordinary supernatural powers like themselves. The strongest demons prevailed, while the weaker demons grew fewer in number, until only the strongest survived, and the entire human race was enslaved.

Then, a day came when the strongest youkai at the time – the great Inu no Taisho, wed one of the humans. A time of turmoil ensued between the four fiefs that existed at the time, and the other lords banded against Inu no Taisho to once again weed out what they deemed the weakest of the youkai. Before he left the Earth, he did all he could in his power to free as many humans as he could. The freed humans were ingenious, and used their limited resources to build small villages, and learned to fend themselves from any attacks."

The children smiled, knowingly.

"There are still four fiefs, but only two of the overlords have a personal obsession with humans. The bloodthirsty son of the late Inu no Taisho and Naraku, also known as the 'demon devourer'." Kagome looked around at the children, the fire in the centre lighting up their features with fear.

These tales were told every month so that the children of the village would know their history, and so that they would learn what was behind all the maddening secrecy of their lives.

She hated to tell the children that they could not go outside the boundaries of their village where the priestesses or priests could not protect them, or listen to the screams of another child with nightmares of the 'demon devourer', but this was her duty, and she had to follow it through with conviction.

Although she was only sixteen, she was the most compelling, and the children adored her, so she was chosen as storyteller. Also, as a priestess in training, she knew it was her duty to protect. Sometimes called too willful or carefree by the elders, she did not take her duties lightly. There was always a part of her that was scared for all of her village. A part of her that held deeply rooted nightmares of a demon with crimson eyes, and inky black hair, and the feeling of utter hopelessness. But, then again, she had never stepped foot outside the village- not once. Who was she to know if there was not a place where horrible things happened everyday, or that souls were sold in an instant?

Kagome smiled to herself laughing off her musings. No, she could not believe in such things. All she had ever felt was the love and comfort that radiated from her family and friends.

The children one-by-one, overcoming their initial scare as they always did, came up to her, and gave her a hug, and a kiss good night, as their parents ushered them home.

Under the full moon, everything looked so pure and untouched or touched with something pure, that she wanted to take it all in. She decided to take a walk, a stroll under the moonlight.

She started to sing a melodic tune, and like she always did, lost herself in the beauty of the forest.

"Shit," a man swore to himself nearby. "Where the hell is that damn statue?" Just then, his ears picked up the subtle tune above the sound of the wind. The voice was feminine, lilting, and entrancing. He crept behind a tree to find the source of the music. What he saw was a young girl waltzing with an invisible partner with the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, coming from her. He stood at the edge of the clearing and watched, waiting to be noticed.

Kagome instantly stopped when she felt a strong demanding presence. She whipped around, and was suddenly face-to-face with the most handsome man she had ever seen with eyes that left her breathless. Were they real? Her hand reached out to his face.

-but before it reached its destination, his hand pushed it out of the way, and the spell was broken. She blushed, embarrassed by her blatant indecency, and apologized. The man silently marveled at her. "I was wondering if you know how to get to a statue?"

Kagome debated on whether she should run back to the village, or try to help him, but he was a man, and it was dark. Only one of those conditions would be needed for the whole arrangement to be considered dangerous. Against her better judgment, she replied, "Do you mean the one of the miko Midoriko?"

"Hai."

"I am sorry, but it is out of the village boundaries." The famous statue of the legendary Midoriko was kept outside the village boundaries for valid purposes. The attraction and lore of the powerful shikon jewel drew many unwanted visitors.

He looked bewildered at her answer, so she explained further. "Our village has boundaries we have to abide to, so that demons cannot find us. We cannot leave its protection." She figured it was okay to explain their situation, since he was able to pass the boundary on the village. Only humans were able to do so anyways.

He still did not seem satisfied by her answer. "I do know where it is, but I've never been outside," she whispered, and pulled away from his molten gold eyes.

The man cocked his head to the side, and a brilliant wry grin spread across his face. "Why not try it now?"

Kagome looked up at him again, with a captivation that scared her.

They left.


	2. The Danger in Dangerous Territory

The only sound that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps, and the occasional breaking of a twig beneath their feet

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. Thanks for everyone's support. I'm kind of out of practice in writing, so hopefully this lives up to everyone's expectations. I'm going to Vancouver in a few days, so I'll be gone for a while after, but it's summertime, so I should be back to writing soon.

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**Chapter 2:** The "Danger" in Dangerous Territory

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The only sound that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps, and the occasional breaking of a twig beneath their feet. She didn't know why, but it felt quiet in a scary way. She felt the need to break this steadfast silence. "What's your name?"

"Inuyasha," he replied without thinking.

"Interesting name…" she said to herself, thinking of what the meaning of his name implied. "Are you a traveler?"

She watched him think of several possible answers, and wondered what he had to hide. "Yeah, I guess I am in a way." He continued without prompting from her, and continued with a well-rehearsed answer, well, the typical one anyways. It started with so-and-so died who was really close to me…

"It started when my mother died from a demon raid on our village during the war…"

…and was killed by some demon, and then about how they had to go on a 'pilgrimage' to see the figure that gave them…

"I figured, I had to see her, I mean, Midoriko is the one who's given everyone hope that someone else will come save us from the demons."

…hope.

Kagome rolled her eyes. Even though she and her village were isolated, she was not naïve. "Don't sit around waiting for that to happen. Why are we all sitting around doing nothing, waiting for a great saviour to save us? Her sacrifice was so that other people could go and do the right thing, not to wait around sitting on their butts, doing nothing." She gave him a look of suspicion. If his mother died that long ago, he must as least be around seventy. That was impossible, right? And it was plain to see he was acting. Everything he said could have been a lie. He really was good-looking though, for a liar.

She snapped herself out of it. Oh well, she'd see what his intentions were, once they reached the cave in which the state was protected. "We're getting closer," she said while huffing. They were treading on rocky terrain and the path was getting steeper. As a miko of the village she had memorized the exact location of the statue and the specific instructions of how to get there, even though she hadn't been there herself…yet. They'd finally reached the looming entrance of the cave.

Right before he'd taken the first step into the cave she told him, "This is a warning. Only people with pure intentions can enter the cave. Midoriko was powerful in life and still is powerful in death. Her aura keeps away anyone who was tainted thoughts. I do not know what happens to someone tries to enter the cave and is not worthy. All I know is that I've heard that some people don't come out." This was partially her test as well. How confident was he? How badly did he need to go in? "Carry on though," she said, nonchalantly, noting that he'd stopped walking mid-step.

"What kind of intentions_ do_ you have?" She asked. He was still not moving. "I'm not stupid. Why do you _actually_ want to go in?"

He shook his head, as if he were trying to shake her off while making a big decision. "Of course I have pure intentions," he said to himself questioningly. He put his hand out in front of him, trying to sense if a barrier would go up.

Kagome watched as his hand touched the exact place where the barrier should be. She heard his screech of pain as he used his other hand to pull his hand away. It looked as if the barrier electrified the people who tried to come in. Figuring she had done her duty, she yawned. "It seems it won't let you in. I guess your 'dead mother' reason wasn't pure enough. I think I should get going." She started walking away but she felt a hand on both of her shoulders, firmly holding her in place.

"Oh, I'm going to get what I want." His baritone voice had suddenly become dangerous. It held a foreboding tone.

"Listen, I really have to get back to the village. I'm one of their protectors. Don't you understand? Without me, because there are only two mikos in the village, it's 50 more susceptible to any attacks." She pulled his hands off her shoulder and faced him with all the intimidation she could muster.

"I can force you to go in and retrieve something for me. It's a small thing. Only about this big." He curled his fingers and made a shape that slightly resembled a ball. "It fits in a child's palm."

"You can't do this to me," she cried out indignantly. "I'd rather sacrifice myself, rather than help you fulfill your impure intention."

"If you don't cooperate, you won't be just sacrificing yourself. You'll be sacrificing your whole village," he replied ominously.

"What are you talking about?" She snapped.

"Have you ever heard of hanyou?"

"They're half-demons, and worse than demons even, because they have little self-control or no control over their bloody killing sprees. It's rumored though, they have a time of rest of wrestling with their inner emotions. They're completely human during the full moon. What about them?" She looked at him with an expectant look.

He smiled, his teeth glinting in the glow of the full moon. "By morning, your village won't have a chance, unless you help me."

She gasped and tried to recollect her thoughts. What could she do? What was she trained to do? But nothing came up in her training, nothing that was ever like this. Demons or half-demons were not supposed to make difficult ultimatums. It was either kill or be killed.

What if whatever was in the cave would bring more havoc then an entire slaughtered village?\

* * *

"Kaede? Have you seen my daughter? Wasn't she supposed to be back by now?" Kari worried incessantly about Kagome. Unlike most daughters, Kagome was constantly in danger, and worse yet, she was supposed to be in this danger, it was her duty. She couldn't tell her to stop getting into those situations. She had to, to protect them.

The old woman patted the younger on the back comfortingly. "She can take care of herself. I'm sure she'll be back soon." She paused, forehead crinkled. I can't leave the village. I'm too old to properly protect it, and the village needs all the protection it can get. If Kagome is in danger, I don't know what we _can_ do."

Kari sat down, and tried not to think of the difficulties that her daughter could be facing out there in the dark, where demons roamed…and then her thoughts led her back to the question she usually asked the wise miko. "Why is my daughter so special, Kaede? Why are we hiding in our compounds like scattered sheep, only waiting to be slaughtered? What is actually happening out there in the world?" She was breathless after her questions and took a sip of tea, to calm herself down.

Kaede sighed before she answered, "Kari, Kagome may be the key to solving all of our troubles. You see, hidden in the Cave of Midoriko is a jewel, the size of a child's palm, which came from Midoriko. It is a jewel of immense power. It grants anyone their greatest wish."

"Then, why can't someone just wish our problems all away?" Kari interrupted, seething.

"It's not that simple. I've sent many men to go to the cave and retrieve the jewel and none have returned. The cave prevents them from entering and holds dangerous consequences when they do. I myself have gone and I could not pass the barrier."

"What are you saying, Kaede? That my daughter could be able to enter? Would her life be in danger?" She asked.

"No, not at all and I'm almost positive she will be able to. The elders have been hiding this from the rest of the villagers, but there is a prophecy…" she trailed off.

"A prophecy?" Kari repeated, astonished.

* * *

Logically speaking, it was a pretty sure bet that the man in front of her could slaughter the entire village. What was not so sure was the effect of the object she would bring back, assuming she could enter.

She was still thinking when he interrupted her thoughts. "Personally, if I were a priestess who wanted to protect her defenseless village from a certain evil, bloodthirsty demon, I would run into the cave. I guess some priestesses are less dedicated to the cause than others." He smirked.

"Oh, shut up. You don't know a thing about us. I'll get the object, but first, tell me what you're going to do with it- truthfully," she added.

Inuyasha looked thoughtful for a second and then answered, "Truthfully, I would say, I'm…not going to tell you." He said, and gave her a shove in the direction of the cave. "Go!" he ordered her.

She flipped back around and faced him. "Hmm…the fact that you're not willing to tell me shows me you're probably going to use it for a purpose I would not approve of and it obviously has some kind of hidden power or significance if it's so important."

She'd hit the nail on the head and she knew it, by looking at his face.

This time, she'd cornered him.

Kagome felt more confident as she continued. "What if I took the jewel and used its power first? What then? Does it only work once?" She smiled when his smirk wavered.

Suddenly, he started pushing her and they'd ended up right in front of the cave. He held both her hands tightly behind her back and shoved her forward. "Wonder if I'm allowed in the cave when I'm with you…" He pushed her forward and they fell into the cave.

"It worked…" Kagome said in wonder.

He looked a little shocked too. Then, they both almost jumped up into the air as torches began lighting up along their path.

"Definitely eerie," Kagome commented and he couldn't help but agree with her.

She shrieked as she noticed, with the light, a scattering of dead carcasses around their feet. "I think I'm going to be sick," she said. There were men and demons, their bodies all over the floor of the entrance to the cave, some fresher than others, while only bones remained on others.

"I guess that's what happens when you try to really pass the barrier." He said. "Thanks for the warning," he patted her on the head. She groaned at the fact she had prevented him from a horrible death. He let go of her wrists but took her hand in his to make sure she would not move.

"My name's Kagome," she said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.

He didn't reply, but that didn't faze her.

She'd have to trust him. Considering the deadly situation, and the number of living people in the cave, she'd just have to trust him. With that thought, she squeezed his hand tighter, hoping the fear would go away.

* * *

"Kaede, don't you think that it's time?" Kari voiced her worries. It had already been a few hours after the storytelling time. Something had happened to Kagome.

"I'll alert the elders. We'll send out some men to scan the boundary area and then the most obvious areas," Kaede replied, and she grabbed her bow and arrows.

"You're going too?" Kari asked in surprise.

"I won't be much use in the village and we have a capable bunch of men in the village. I have a bad feeling about this, though. Kagome is a strong girl. Something serious has happened to her. I will lead the search for her. I just hope it's not too late," she said in a regretful tone.

Kari sat silently, shaking in her chair, knowing Kaede's pain. Kaede had lost her younger sister 50 years ago and still had not gotten over it. She could only hope the same would not happen to Kagome.

* * *

They'd been walking for what seemed like forever walking as if they were marching to the dripping sounds of the cave. Kagome was soon losing her will to speak. As they neared, their destination, more gruesome dead demons lay in their path. They'd had to jump over some, walk on top of others and hold their breath all at the same time. The stench was growing worse all the while.

"I think we're here." Kagome said in an awed voice.

Before them stood some sort of tableau. A woman was in the middle of it, in a tragic pose. She was defending herself against a horde of demons. There were big ones, small ones, ones with bulging eyes, others had eyes the colour of blood, some with tails so long that it wrapped around the circular chamber and some she could not even begin to describe. One thing was sure though.

They were all after the woman in the centre of it all.

Then, she noticed that Inuyasha had left her side. She looked up and saw he'd reached Midoriko and was trying to pull something out from her palm. He was obviously struggling. Finally, after a few minutes of wrestling with it, he called out to her. "Kaguya?"

"It's Kagome!", she corrected him, angrily.

"Yeah, whatever," Inuyasha replied. "Come here and get the jewel out. You're the priestess."

"Fine, fine." She managed to pull herself over the demons until she reached the statue. She groaned as she grasped the jewel and tried pulling it out. It would not budge. A thoughtful look crossed Kagome's face and her face lit up as she thought of a solution…but she couldn't tell Inuyasha, could she? He'd use the jewel for an evil purpose.

It was too late, anyway. He'd seen the look on her face. The look of dawning realization. Her emotions were too obvious. "What have you suddenly figured out?"

Kagome wouldn't answer. She shook her head in denial.

"Remember. If I don't have that jewel in my hand before dawn, you'll have no home to go back to, no friends to see, no future…"

She motioned for him to stop with her hands. "I get it. I think we have to take the jewel out together. You know how the barrier accepted us, once we went in together? Maybe it's the same principle here. Let's try to pull it out at the same time."

He nodded his head. "Okay."

She grabbed one side of the jewel and he grabbed the other and they pulled in unison. They cheered as they felt it move. Suddenly, the cave went dark and they couldn't see anymore. "I got the jewel!" Kagome cheered.

"I got the jewel," Inuyasha corrected her.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. "It's right in my hand." They both put their hands around the jewel in their hands and felt the rough edges of what was supposed to be a circular object and they started accusing each other.

"I can't believe I believed in your plan," Inuyasha complained. He imitated her voice in the most pretentious, girly way, "Let's pull the jewel out together, using teamwork, cooperation and the power of love."

"Well, it still worked, didn't it?" Kagome said in defense.

The problem lay right in the palm of their hands. Neither one had the jewel, but neither one didn't have the jewel, because…it broke in half. Kagome would kill herself before she gave up her half to him. This was her only chance at preventing him from whatever he was going to do with the jewel.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha said, in a faraway voice.

Kagome smiled. "Hey, you got my name right," she said happily.

His voice seemed distant as he said, "The demons are waking up and we have the jewel."

"They're waking up?" Kagome asked, worriedly. She could almost feel breaths right behind her neck.

"Yea, not only that, but they want the jewel."

Kagome felt for the object in her hand. Her mind went numb. "What does that mean?"

"It means, there's going to be a shitload of demons trying to kill us and we better start running now," he said, grabbed her hand and they both started running for their lives.


End file.
